California researchers have discovered that there may be a silver lining to an invasive and toxic seaweed that is killing some of Hawaii’s coral reefs: It seems the seaweed contains compounds that could treat human diseases.
California researchers have discovered that there may be a silver lining to an invasive and toxic seaweed that is killing some of Hawaii’s coral reefs: It seems the seaweed contains compounds that could treat human diseases.
“I think this finding is a nice illustration of how we need to look more deeply in our environment, because even nuisance pests, as it turns out, are not just pests,” said William Gerwick, a researcher at UC San Diego and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “It’s a long road to go from this early-stage discovery to application in the clinic, but it’s the only road if we want new and more efficacious medicines.”
The study appears in today’s issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology.
The seaweed, a tiny photosynthetic organism known as a cyanobacterium, was identified in 2008 on coral reefs near the Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, off Hawaii’s Kona coast.
Photo credit: Jennifer Smith/Scripps Institution of Oceanography
“I’ve just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” — President Obama in an interview with ABC News.
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Tomorrow, five men accused of planning the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people on 9/11 will be arraigned in a military courtroom at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. The high-profile case will shine an international spotlight on a “war court” system that, despite legal reforms, is derided as inherently unjust by critics and lauded by proponents as the most secure, efficient forum to try detainees suspected of terrorism. A trial could offer an intimate look at the events leading up to the 2001 terrorist attacks and also could raise the issues of torture and inmate abuse that became synonymous with the infamous prison.
We break down how the Guantanamo ‘war court’ will differ from the federal system. Check out our Explainer for more.
Image: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is shown in this file photograph during his arrest March 1, 2003. The accused 9/11 mastermind and four suspected co-conspirators are facing trial in a Guantanamo war crimes tribunal on charges that could carry the death penalty. Credit: Courtesy of U.S. News & World Report/Reuters
“God is weeping”
— Karen Oliveto, pastor at Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco, and a leader in the Love Your Neighbor Coalition, which is trying to eliminate church rules condemning same-sex relationships.
Delegates at the United Methodist Church’s global convention on Thursday rejected proposals to eliminate a rule declaring homosexuality “incompatible” with Christianity. The 572 to 368 vote was a defeat for gay rights activists who have tried for years to change church doctrine. Read more.
In the combined wars of Afghanistan and Iraq, all 50 states and the territories have lost service members. More than 6,300 people have died and more than 44,000 have been wounded in action, many of whom were saved by modern medicine not available during previous wars. Click through to see our map of casualties by state.
California Watch: California still leads nation in Iraq, Afghan war casualties -
When Chief Warrant Officer Nicholas Johnson’s Black Hawk helicopter went down during bad weather April 19, killing him and three others, he became the 671st service member from California to die in the combined Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
A brief Department of Defense statement from April 24 said the crash occurred in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Johnson and the rest of his crew were assigned to an Army aviation regiment based in Hawaii. U-T San Diego later reported that the 27-year-old Johnson was on his first deployment, attended Chino High School in San Bernardino County and is survived by a wife and child.
California continues to lead the nation in fatal sacrifices made to the conflicts, according to an analysis of the most recent Defense Department data available. The figures, which include both hostile and non-hostile casualties, cover three major operations across the two wars: Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. Read more.
Photo: Chief Warrant Officer Nicholas Johnson. Credit: U.S. Army
“Almost every tow we did contained plastic, regardless of the depth.”
— Giora Proskurowski, a University of Washington researcher. His new research has found that natural ocean processes such as wind, drag, turbulence and wave height can push the plastic deep down, where it floats along, suspended underwater and unobserved by people examining the ocean’s surface.
The new report claims scientists have only skimmed the surface on the devastating pollution caused by plastic debris in the ocean, and the research community is likely underestimating the amount of plastic in the ocean. Read more.
How well do you know your food history? When did humans start planting in rows? Or start using the plow? Find out by using our interactive food history timeline!
The threats of terrorism and spillover violence from the Mexican drug war are largely overblown, according to a new report.
The report [PDF] found that those threats have led to an increased enforcement presence and a confusing patchwork of federal agencies responsible for border security. The buildup has pushed migrants into more dangerous travel routes, but has done little to reduce drug trafficking, according to the report.
And despite fears that terrorists could use the southern border as a gateway to the U.S., no member of any group on the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist Organizations list has attempted to enter the country via Mexico, the report said. Read more.
Image: A U.S. Army National Guard soldier watches the U.S.-Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz. via Jim Greenhill/Flickr